We got Archipelago out the other day for a first play. There were 5 of us, so the first turn took about an hour to do but it then speeded up. Expect about 45 mins per player I reckon. Less if you play the short objective version, we started with a medium but on hindsight the shorter game would have been better first time out.

What a game it is. It has a little bit of everything. Card tapping, negotiation, auctions, co-operation, worker placement, building, secret win objectives; it pretty much robs from everything and turns it into one great cohesive whole.

In terms of theme it really works well. You feel like you are explorers in the new world. Growing, sending exotic resources back to the old world, dealing with the indigenous population.

It has some beautiful pieces and the box design is super clever; storing things and actually being used in play.

It has a lot of depth which we only just began to dig at. We are looking forward to another go!

If you like you games long, not light and with great chin stroking potential I suggest you give it a go.